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Copyright 2014 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
The conference
for clinical excellence
March 27-29
Las Vegas Hotel Las Vegas, NV
Featuring seven Advanced Track
sessions specially designed to
meet the needs of experienced
practicing nurses:
Diagnosis and management of
pneumonias: CAP, HAP, HCAP,
VAP. New strategies to combat the
most common cause of death from
infection in hospitalized patients.
The nuts and bolts of patient
care considerations for minimally
invasive robotic surgery. The future
is here. Learn the basics about this
fast-growing field.
Hemodynamic stability. This
session discusses end points to fluid
resuscitation and appropriate use of
vasopressor agents.
Complexities of pain medication.
Explore the reasons why patients may
not respond in the same way to the
same medication and the role of nonopioid medications and co-analgesics
in pain control.
Sweet success: Making sense of
the dizzying deluge of diabetes
drugs. This entertaining session
provides endocrine insider
information on currently available
hypoglycemic agents, along with
clinical tips for their use.
MI mimickers. Myocardial
infarctionor something else? Sort
out several clinical conditions that
mimic acute coronary syndrome.
Sepsis update: Early recognition
makes a difference! Review
whats new in the latest clinical
guidelines and how to apply expert
recommendations to clinical practice.
68 l Nursing2014 l March
could interrupt sleep. When winding down for a good sleep, its best
to avoid large meals, caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine.8
Caffeine. Although many nurses
use caffeine to stay alert during
long shifts, most dont use it as
effectively as they could. Caffeine
shouldnt be used on a regular
basis because tolerance may
develop; instead, caffeine should
be used strategically throughout
shifts. Nurses who are already
alert benefit more from drinking
water than a caffeinated drink.
Caffeine should be used in anticipation of drowsiness to increase
alertness; caffeine is best consumed
about an hour before a decrease in
alertness is expected.6 To prevent
insomnia, nurses should avoid
caffeine for at least 3 hours before
bedtime.3
Work environment. Especially
during the night shift, paying special
attention to the work environment
can help nurses prevent excessive
fatigue. Strategic lighting can
increase alertness in work areas.3
For example, keeping hallways
dark and nurse work areas bright
increases attention and encourages
wakefulness.9
Another environmental component that can affect alertness is room
temperature. A workplace thats too
warm can decrease alertness and
cause drowsiness. Alertness is
increased with slightly cooler temperatures or air moved across the
face with a fan.3
Teamwork. Because most individuals cant accurately judge their
own impairment, they should enlist
coworkers to help gauge their fatigue.6
Realizing fatigue may be occurring,
coworkers can help tired nurses with
difficult tasks or double-check highrisk work. Knowing their own limitations and working as a team on the
DOI-10.1097/01.NURSE.0000441895.42899.0c
www.Nursing2014.com
Copyright 2014 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.